19147
Roof replacement in Queen Village and Bella Vista
Covers Passyunk Square, Queen Village, Bella Vista and Hawthorne, in the city's Central planning district. Most owner-occupied homes here, 82%, are rowhomes or twins: houses that share at least one wall, so a new roof has to meet the neighbors' on one side or both.
This number connects homeowners who are planning a new roof or a full roof replacement with independent local roofing contractors. It is not for leak repairs or patch jobs. The call must come from the homeowner who decides on the roof. Calls may be recorded.
26
EZ roof covering replacement permits in 19147 in 2025
82%
of owner-occupied homes are rowhomes or twins (1-unit attached)
54%
of homes built in 1939 or earlier
53%
of occupied homes lived in by their owners
Permits: City of Philadelphia L&I open data. Homes: Census ACS 2020–2024.
Roofs Philadelphia connects homeowners with independent local roofing contractors. We do not perform roofing work.
Roof permits in 19147
City records show 26 EZ permits for replacing a roof covering in 19147 in 2025, 27th of 46 ZIP codes. Measured against owner-occupied homes it is 2.5 per 1,000, well below the 6.6 for the city as a whole. It was higher in 2021, with 38 permits. Through October 23, 2026, 42 more were issued in 2026, after 48 in 2024. Residential: 22; commercial: 4.
The homes in 19147
Of 21,117 homes here, 10,547 are lived in by their owners: 53% of occupied homes, against 52% for the city. 54% were built in 1939 or earlier, against 40% citywide. On houses that old the roof has usually been replaced more than once, and the next replacement often starts with finding out what is underneath. Median owner-reported value: $530,900 (city $243,100).
What the roof job looks like here
A rowhouse roof that looks flat is built to drain: in the words of the City's Rowhouse Manual, most "are actually gently sloped toward a drain." That slope, the parapet and the joints with the houses on either side are what a replacement here is mostly about.
On houses this old, check for slate, including a slate mansard front, and for more than one layer. The City's EZ standard requires every existing layer to come off first where the roof is slate, clay, cement or asbestos-cement tile, or already has two or more coverings.
Read more: rowhouse flat roofs, flat roof systems , slate roofs, tear-off or roof-over.
Historic designation
2 local historic districts reach into 19147: Society Hill and Washington Square West. In all, 1,795 properties in this ZIP code are on the Philadelphia Register of Historic Places.
For a designated property the City's EZ re-roofing standard does not apply "without prior approval" of the Historical Commission, so the commission's sign-off comes before the permit, and a change of material, such as slate to asphalt, is part of what it looks at.
Which streets, which months
69 streets in 19147 had at least one roof permit between 2021 and 2025; S 12th St (10), Bainbridge St (10) and Christian St (9) had the most. Of the 196 permits issued in 19147 from 2021 through 2025, the most came in June (29) and August (22), the fewest in January (5). Only 13% fell in December through February.
- S 12th St · 10
- Bainbridge St · 10
- Christian St · 9
- Lombard St · 9
- S 3rd St · 7
- S 10th St · 7
- Queen St · 7
- Fitzwater St · 6
Questions about a new roof in Queen Village and Bella Vista
Does a roof replacement in Queen Village and Bella Vista need a City permit?
Yes. A roof covering replacement in Philadelphia goes through an EZ permit from L&I. In 2025 the City issued 26 of them in 19147 (Passyunk Square and Queen Village), 27th of 46 ZIP codes.
When were the homes in Queen Village and Bella Vista built?
54% of homes in 19147 were built in 1939 or earlier (city: 40%); the median year built is 1938. 53% of occupied homes are lived in by their owners (Census ACS 2020–2024).
What kind of roof do rowhomes in Queen Village and Bella Vista have?
82% of owner-occupied homes here are rowhomes or twins. Most rowhouse roofs look flat but slope gently toward a drain, so a replacement means a low-slope membrane turned up the parapet and sealed to the roofs next door.
Does the old roof have to come off on an older house in Queen Village and Bella Vista?
Under the City's EZ re-roofing standard, every existing layer comes off first where the roof is slate, clay, cement or asbestos-cement tile, or already has two or more coverings. On houses this old, check for slate and for more than one layer.
Does the Historical Commission review roofs in Queen Village and Bella Vista?
2 local historic districts reach into 19147: Society Hill and Washington Square West. For a designated property the Historical Commission approves the work, including a change of material such as slate to asphalt, before the permit.
Next to 19147
Sources: L&I permits (OpenDataPhilly) and City map layers, queried October 24, 2026; Census ACS 2020–2024; L&I EZ re-roofing standard; Rowhouse Manual. All sources. Checked October 24, 2026.